Desk top stop-A-spill quick-release drink container holder

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for securing various sized drinking containers (cups, mugs, glasses etc.) thus helping to prevent the spilling of liquid drinks from various sized drinking containers onto a desk (or table) top or desk (or table) top protector surface area. The apparatus itself can be placed or even secured anywhere on the desk (or table) top or desk (or table) top protector surface area so that the drinking container can be placed for easy access. More specifically, when the apparatus is employed to secure the drinking container, the stability of the drinking container, with or without its contents, is increased as follows; the apparatus extends the distance from the center of gravity of the secured drinking container and its contents further outward to the outboard edge of the apparatus and even further when the apparatus itself is secured to the desk (or table) top.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new apparatus forsecuring various sized drinking containers thus helping to prevent thespilling of drinks onto a desk (or table) top or desk (or table) topprotector surface area. The apparatus itself can be placed or evensecured anywhere on the desk (or table) top or desk (or table) topprotector surface area so that the drink container can be placed foreasy access. More specifically, when the apparatus is employed to securethe drinking container, the stability of the drinking container, with orwithout its contents, is increased as follows; the apparatus extends thedistance from the center of gravity of the secured drinking containerand its contents further outward to the outboard edge of the apparatusand even further when the apparatus itself is secured to the desk (ortable) top or the desk (or table) top protector. More generically, theapparatus will function with various sized containers which hold liquidsor any other type of contents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of the apparatus installed on the left side of the desk(or table) with a drinking container installed in the apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of only the apparatus with the drinkingcontainer installed in the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a portion of the apparatus's base, one ofthe three dual vertical stanchion assemblies, its associated pivotedlever arm, the associated rotation stop for the pivoted lever arm, themovable platform and the installed drinking container.

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preceding features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent with reference to the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a portion of the left side of the desk (or table)with the apparatus 1 mounted on the upper surface of the desk (or table)top with a drinking container 2 installed in the apparatus 1. Theapparatus 1 is designed to be installed anywhere on the upper surface ofthe desk (or table) top or on the upper surface of a desk (or table) topprotector.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of only the apparatus 1 with the drinkingcontainer 2 installed. The apparatus 1 is composed of the following: Arigid base 3 which by virtue of its weight (ballast) alone is able tohold its position once placed on the top of the desk (or table) top orits desk (or table) top protector and which may also be additionallysecured to the top of the desk (or table) itself or its desk (or table)top protector via an attachment type substance such as Velcro, doublesided tape, glue, suction device etc. The rigid base 3 serves as amounting platform for three sets of dual vertical stanchion assemblies 4each set of which are positioned 120° apart with each individualvertical stanchion 4 being grooved/slotted A at its top to support apivoted lever arm 5 via the pivot pins 6 that perpendicularly protrudefrom each side of the pivoted lever arm 5. The foregoing configurationallows the pivoted lever arm 5 to rotate about the singular/common axisof the pivot pins 6. The rotation is stopped either by the outside wallof the drinking container 2 thus clamping on the drinking container 2 orby the outboard rotational stop 7. Because the three sets of dualvertical stanchion assemblies 4 are positioned 120° apart, FIG. 2 onlyshows two of the three sets of dual vertical stanchion assemblies 4. Asdetailed later, it is the variable clamping action of the pivoted leverarms 5 which laterally hold variably sized drinking containers 2 inplace.

FIG. 3 is an exploded side view of the rigid base 3, one of the sets ofdual vertical stanchion assemblies 4, its associated pivoted lever arm5, its pivot pin 6 and its associated rotational stop 7 along with themovable platform 8 that rides on the lower ends of the three pivotedlever arms 5. The movable platform 8 immediately supports the drinkingcontainer 2 which when installed, always has its bottom placed on thetop of the movable platform 8 insuring that the plane of the bottom ofthe drinking container 2 will always be parallel with the upper plane ofthe rigid base 3 by virtue of the rod 9 which is perpendicularlyattached to the center underside of the movable platform 8 and whichrides in a hole B which is perpendicularly drilled through the center ofthe rigid base 3 and which extends through the entire rigid base 3. Theperiphery of the movable platform 8 can be most any shape (circular,square, triangular) without changing its function/performance. The topsurface of the movable platform 8 is “relatively smooth” and “non-stick”via coating materials such as silicone, Teflon, etc., to allow the threepivoted lever arms 5 which are positioned 120° apart to insure that thedrinking container 2 will be shifted towards the center of the movableplatform 8 even if the drinking container 2 is not initially placed atthe center of the movable platform 8. It should be noted that by virtueof the way each pivoted lever arm 5 is counter balanced via weight W,the upper end of each of the three pivoted lever arms 5 initially restagainst their associated rotation stop 7 before the upper end of eachpivoted lever arm 5 is caused to rotate towards the drinking container 2via the force put on the lower end of the pivoted lever arm 5 by themovable platform 8 when the movable platform 8 is moved down by theweight of the drinking container 2, with or without its contents. Moregenerically, the apparatus 1 will properly function when it consists ofany plurality of dual sets of stanchion assemblies 4 and theirassociated pivoted lever arms 5 configured to provide a minimum of athree point contact of the upper end of the pivoted lever arm 5 with theoutside of the drinking container 2 for the dual purpose of acting tocenter the drinking container 2 on the movable platform 8 even when thedrinking container 2 is not initially placed at the center of themovable platform 8 as well as for laterally securing/constraining thedrinking container 2.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the items in FIG. 3. The major purpose ofthis FIG. 4 is to show the full length view of the two pivot pins 6 aswell as the full width view of the pivoted lever arms 5 with its counterbalancing weight W. Also shown in this FIG. 4 is the top view of thedrinking container 2, one of the sets of dual vertical stanchionassemblies 4, the associated rotational stop 7 and the rigid base 3. Themovable platform 8 is obviously hidden from view in this FIG. 4.

1. An apparatus for securing various sized drinking containers (cups,mugs, glasses, cans etc.) or even more generically various sizedcontainers which hold liquids or any other type of contents thus helpingto prevent the spilling of liquid drinks or any other type of contentsfrom the secured drinking containers on to the upper surface of a desk(or table) top itself or on the upper surface of its desk (or table) topprotector comprising: a rigid base which by virtue of its weight(ballast) alone, is able to hold its position once placed on the top ofthe desk (or table) itself or its desk (or table) top protector andwhich may also be additionally secured to the top of the desk (or table)itself or its desk (or table) top protector via an attachment typesubstance such as Velcro, double sided tape, glue, suction device etc.The rigid base serves as a mounting platform for three sets of dualvertical stanchion assemblies each of which are positioned 120° apartwith each individual vertical stanchion being grooved/slotted at the topto support a pivoted lever arm via two identically sized pivot pinswhich perpendicularly protrude from each side of the pivoted lever armand which are located at the approximate longitudinal center of thepivoted lever arm and also which are positioned to have the same centerline. The foregoing configuration allows the pivoted lever arm to rotateabout the singular/common axis of the pivot pins. The rotation isstopped either by the outside wall of the drinking container when thepivoted lever arm clamps on the drinking container or when the pivotedlever arm hits the outboard rotational stop. The apparatus can adapt tovarious sized drinking containers because of the variable positioning ofthe pivoted lever arm as follows: the upper end of each pivoted leverarm initially moves toward and subsequently pushes against the outerside wall of the inserted drinking container as the lower end of thepivoted lever arm is pushed down via a movable platform by at minimum,the weight of the empty drinking container, or at maximum, the combinedweight of both the drinking container and its capacity contents. Themovable platform immediately supports the drinking container which wheninstalled always has its bottom placed on the top of the movableplatform insuring that the plane of the bottom of the drinking containerwill always be parallel with the upper plane of the rigid base by virtueof a rod which is perpendicularly attached to the center underside ofthe movable platform and which rides in a hole which is perpendicularlydrilled through the center of the upper surface of the rigid base andwhich extends through the entire base. The top surface of the movableplatform is “relatively smooth” and “non-stick” via such coatingmaterials such as silicone, Teflon etc., to allow the three pivotedlever arms which are positioned 120° apart to insure that the drinkingcontainer will be shifted towards the center of the movable platformeven if the drinking container is not initially placed at the center ofthe movable platform. Also, the upper end tip of each pivoted lever armis coated/covered with a “rubberized” type material to enhance thegripping of the upper end of the pivoted lever arm to/against the outerside wall of the drinking container. The apparatus thus holds thedrinking container securely in place until the instant when the drinkingcontainer is picked up, relieving the extra weight first from themovable platform and in turn second from the lower end of the pivotedlever arm which in turn, relieves the force applied on the outer sidewall of the drinking container by the upper end of the pivoted leverarm. In addition, the pivoted lever arm is counter balanced via a weightsuch that when the force that is applied to the outer side wall of thedrinking container by the upper end of the pivoted lever arm isrelieved, the pivoted lever arm rotates such that the upper end of thepivoted lever arm moves away from the drinking container until it hitsthe outboard rotation stop thus placing the pivoted lever arm in theproper position to accept the next placement of a drinking container. Inaddition, the apparatus is designed to accommodate drinking containerswith or without handles via the stanchion assembly lateral spacing. Inconclusion, when the apparatus is employed to secure the drinkingcontainer, the stability of the drinking container, with or without itscontents, is increased as follows; the apparatus extends the distancefrom the center of gravity of the secured drinking container and itscontents further outward to the outboard edge of the apparatus and evenfurther when the apparatus itself is secured to the desk (or table) topor the desk (or table) top protector.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 inwhich any plurality of sets of dual stanchion assemblies and theirassociated pivoted lever arms are configured to provide a minimum of athree point contact of the upper end of the pivoted lever arm with theoutside wall of the drinking container for the dual purpose of helpingto center the drinking container on the movable platform even when thedrinking container is not initially placed at the center of the movableplatform as well as for laterally securing/constraining the drinkingcontainer.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which any plurality of singlevertical stanchions and their associated pivoted lever arms areconfigured to provide a minimum of a three point contact of the upperend of the pivoted lever arm with the outside wall of the drinkingcontainer for the dual purpose of helping to center the drinkingcontainer on the movable platform even when the drinking container isnot initially placed at the center of the movable platform as well asfor laterally securing/constraining the drinking container. Each singlevertical stanchion must be installed in a manner to prevent rotationabout its vertical longitudinal axis. When a single vertical stanchionsupport is used, the pivot pin needs to be positioned (molded orattached) at right angles to the top of each of the single verticalstanchions so as to support the pivoted lever arm which would rotate onthe pivot pin via a hole drilled crosswise through the approximatelongitudinal center of the pivoted lever arm.